• CURRENT RELEASE

    • Release
      THERE IS A BOMB IN GILEAD
      May 15, 2012
      BUY
  • AUDIO


  • Click here to download three hi-res photos of Lee & The Glory Fires and There Is A Bomb In Gilead cover art.

    LEE BAINS III & THE GLORY FIRES ANNOUNCE TOUR DATES WITH ALABAMA SHAKES!

    DEBUT ALBUM “THERE IS A BOMB IN GILEAD” OUT MAY 15TH THROUGH ALIVE NATURALSOUND RECORDS

    The title of LEE BAINS III AND THE GLORY FIRES’ debut album comes from Bains mishearing an old hymn as a child. In the soft accents of his elders around Birmingham, Alabama, “There is a balm in Gilead” sounded a lot like “There is a bomb.” It fits, really. The Glory Fires learned to construct music in the churches of their childhoods, and learned to destroy it in the punk clubs of their youths.

    As much Wilson Pickett as Fugazi, as much the Stooges as the Allman Brothers, Birmingham, Alabama’s Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires have brought radical rock’n’roll to bear on their own experience and their own place. On THERE IS A BOMB IN GILEAD, they deconstruct the music of the Deep South, strip it down and reassemble it, to make a righteous ruckus that sits at the vanguard of the vernacular.

    In 2008, shortly after returning to Birmingham from college in New York, Lee Bains fell in with the Dexateens, a Tuscaloosa institution whose raggedy union of cock-eyed rebel pride and forward-thinking fury proved to be the perfect apprenticeship for a confused Southern boy, raised on Skynyrd and schooled in Faulkner. After Bains had played with the band for a couple or three years, a couple or three hundred shows, the Dexateens came to a reluctant end. Bains found himself off the road, back in Birmingham, without a band. He also found himself with a passel of powerful songs sitting somewhere between buzzsaw garage, classic power-pop and sweating country-soul. Casting his nets in central Alabama’s rock’n’roll clubs, Bains assembled the Glory Fires: drummer Blake Williamson (Black Willis, Taylor Hollingsworth, Dan Sartain), bass player Justin Colburn (Model Citizen, Arkadelphia), and guitar player Matt Wurtele. Chugging along with a fierce Muscle Shoals vibe, the Glory Fires brought a sense of urgency to Bains’ drawling, howling voice.

    After tracking some demos under the powerful guidance of Texas punk pioneer Tim Kerr (Big Boys, Poison 13, Now Time Delegation) and a few months of shows, the Glory Fires traveled to Water Valley, Mississippi to record the tracks for their debut LP There Is a Bomb in Gilead at Dial Back Sound with engineer Lynn Bridges (Quadrajets, Jack Oblivian, Thomas Function). The songs were mixed in Detroit, at Ghetto Recorders by Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The New Bomb Turks, Outrageous Cherry). It is there — in that Mississippi grease and Detroit grit — that There Is a Bomb in Gilead sits, fuse lit, ready to go.

    There Is A Bomb In Gilead hits stores May 15th and will be available on CD, Digital and Black Vinyl with with lyric sheet and download card. In addition, there will also be a very limited pressing of 500 Purple Vinyl albums with lyric sheet and download card exclusive to mailorders.

    “THERE IS A BOMB IN GILEAD” TRACKLIST:
    01. Ain’t No Stranger
    02. Centreville
    03. Reba
    04. Choctaw Summer
    05. Magic City Stomp!
    06. Everything You Took
    07. Righteous, Ragged Songs
    08. The Red, Red Dirt of Home
    09. Roebuck Parkway
    10. Opelika
    11. There Is A Bomb In Gilead

    Later next month Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires will be heading out on the road for a highly anticipated tour with their friends and musical brethen Alabama Shakes. “We just like each other’s bands from having played together in Tuscaloosa,” Bains explained about their relationship. “The funny thing is that, several months ago, before things started going really crazy for the Shakes, I asked them if they’d want to do a co-headline tour in April, since both of our albums were supposed to come out around that time. When I asked back then, they had said that a couple members couldn’t get off work for that long, so they’d have to pass. Now, here it is, six or seven or eight months later, and we’re opening for them on a tour of much bigger venues than we could’ve ever expected.”

    Bains further elaborated, “We have both definitely come out of the Alabama rock’n’roll scene. Heath and Zac [from Alabama Shakes] were both frequenting Egan’s in Tuscaloosa before the Shakes played there, and I’d seen Zac at our Dexateens shows. There’s definitely a tradition of dirty Alabama rock’n’roll that takes pride in being from Alabama. I guess I’d point to the Quadrajets, Immortal Lee County Killers, Drive-By Truckers, Model Citizen and Dexateens as being a few of those bands. In those bands and others, I see a definite sense of Southern heritage, mostly in their influences (Muscle Shoals and Memphis soul, ’70s Southern rock, Big Star and Memphis garage stuff, gospel music, classic country and blues), but also a conscious effort to question and subvert what it means to be Southern. With really loud damn guitars.”

    FOR MORE INFO ON LEE BAINS III & THE GLORY FIRES:
    http://thegloryfires.com
    http://www.alive-totalenergy.com/x/?page_id=3093
    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Bains-III-The-Glory-Fires/148581995155439

    FOR MORE INFO ON ALIVE RECORDS:
    http://www.alive-totalenergy.com

    FOR MEDIA AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS:
    Tony Bonyata
    Pavement PR
    p: 262.903.7775
    e: bonyata@wi.rr.com

    Comments are closed.

  • REVIEWS

    • “These Alabama Shakes tourmates offer their own loose-limbed take on rootsy Southern rock, with a jam that choogles like the second coming of Creedence.” - ROLLING STONE
    • “Classic southern rock with intelligent lyrics and great energy.” - NO DEPRESSION
    • “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!” - CITIES 97 RADIO: MINNEAPOLIS
    • “Former Alabama Shakes tourmates Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires traffic in rootsy, heartfelt blues-rock. Their debut is There Is a Bomb in Gilead; with just the right dose of punk attitude, it’s sure to translate to a rowdy live set.” - TIME OUT NEW YORK
    • “Forging a Connection Between Punk and Southern Rock. Although the South isn’t likely to rise again in any discernible militaristic fashion, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires might just be the band to help Southern rock find its bearings in a respectable manner. A real Southern treat.” – PERFORMER MAGAZINE
    • “Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires’ There Is A Bomb In Gilead is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve heard this year. If you’re not up and dancing when listening to their song “The Red, Red Dirt of Home” then you might as well pull the coffin lid down over you.” - DESOLATION ANGEL RADIO
    • “Alabama rock n soul outfit Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires has sounds from moody well-crafted country rock to loose southern garage rock rave ups. Bains’ voice moves between soulful country gentleman to early 1970S drink swilling and chain smoking masters like Rod Stewart or Joe Cocker. – DUBUQUE 365
    • “Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires are burning up audiences at venues far and wide with a proud Southern garage soul sound. The release of their debut There Is a Bomb in Gilead has earned them praise from critics and fans alike, and the nation is once again focusing its eyes on the Alabama music scene.” – LAGNIAPPPE WEEKLY
    • “What makes this album so significant is that it's so good that it immediately earns a place next to the best of the best. It's a timeless statement. Taking elements from British blues, glam and southern rock, this amazing machine delivers a non-stop collection of tracks that brings to mind the glory days (pun intended) of the Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers and the Byrds. If you haven't heard of Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires yet, get used to hearing about them, because they are here to stay.” – RUST MAGAZINE
    • "I love watching Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. Terrific performers and The Glory Fires are relentless. The musicianship is incredible and I've learned a thing or two watching the way the guitars interact with one another. Nothing like good old-fashioned rock'n'roll. Touring with them was an absolute blast!" – ALABAMA SHAKES’ BRITTANY HOWARD (as told to the UK music magazine NME)
    • “There are a few songs that had – had – to have been recorded at midnight by their sound and vibe (the weary goodbye of “Everything You Took”; the snapping, biting “Ain’t No Stranger”). And if the stripped-to-the-bone title track wasn’t laid down on a Sunday morning, well, I don’t want to know about it. People spend careers (and a lot of production bucks) trying to sound this soulful. This is a debut album? Holy ol’ Christ … Hang on, world: here come Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.” – Brian Robbins / JAMBANDS
    • "There Is A Bomb In Gilead conveys that “sweaty” sound The Rolling Stones perfected back in their Exile-Sticky Finger needle & spoon days that so many bands yearn for but few realize." - SAVING COUNTRY MUSIC
    • “Drag The Stooges through some deep-south barbecued-pork spare ribs, a gospel church and put a ten-gallon hat on its head, and this is what you get.” - Ears McEvoy / SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
    • "The Glory Fires may be more roots-leaning than Bains' earlier unit [The Dexateens], but they retain more than the recommended daily value of piss and vinegar, all of which is distilled into the band’s 180 proof debut, There Is A Bomb In Gilead." - Richard 'Luftmensch' Morgan / MY OLD KENTUCKY BLOG
    • Top 10 Shows of 2012: While Alabama Shakes’ Toronto performance was excellent - openers Lee Bains and the Glory Fires were incredible - this show reminded me of why I prefer metal / hardcore shows.” - BROOKLYN VEGAN
    • Top Ten Album of 2012: Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires – “There is a Bomb in Gilead.” The Alabama Shakes may be getting a well–deserved national nod, but it should be shared with the whole state, including this Bains–led rock band that channels equal parts Drive By Truckers rock and Muscle Shoals soul. - THE DURANGO HERALD
    • #2 BEST ALBUM OF 2012! - THE SOUNDCHECK & THE FURY
    • “Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires bring together multiple strands of southern music to make a hard-charging, soulful sound. The Birmingham-based group is perfecting an emerging style of southern rock that acknowledges forbearers like the Allman Brothers, but adds punk energy and coats it with a heavy dose of soul. The group’s recently released debut album, “There Is a Bomb in Gilead,” showcases guitarist and lead vocalist Bains’ strong songwriting and the band’s high level of musicianship.” - JACKSON FREE PRESS
    • “ These root rockers from Alabama know how shake the frost off some bones and get back to jamming. They’re a diverse group who channel The Rolling Stones at times, Creedance during others, and their own twangy Alabama roots sound otherwise. If you enjoy wailing organs, electric guitar breakdowns, and southern rock that toes the line of country – you’ll have a friend in Lee Bains.” - YANKEE CALLING
    • “This Alabama-born singer/songwriter Lee Bains III is like a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Eddie Hinton. Live the guy is electric.” - FLAGPOLE
    • “On There is a Bomb in Gilead, the Glory Fires debut, Bains brings the sensibilities of a literary education to his talks with Jesus and his hallelujahs to Joey Ramone. I don’t say this just because he makes literary references, like the one to Walker Percy (“go ahead take my Walker Percy, go ahead and take the t-shirt by brother got when he saw the Ramones”), but because his melancholy and moral musings are offspring of Faulkner and O’Connor’s world. This is rock ‘n’ roll from the South, dirty and distinguished, polished (but not too much) to a Motor City shine. Fresh, soulful, assured, There is a Bomb in Gilead is a damn fine debut from Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires.” – Steve Wilson / REVERBERATIONS
    • “Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires’ There Is A Bomb In Gileadis an outstanding collection of bad ass rock and roll tunes. Their music is loaded with blistering guitars and thunderous rhythms that give it a ‘70s punk feel and the right amount of Southern twang giving them a sound similar to Lucero or Centro-matic.” - ATLANTA EXAMINER
    • “If the 8-track format suddenly made a comeback of vinyl-like proportions Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires would be the reason for the resurgence. I pressed play on the newly released track “Total Destruction To Your Mind” and before I knew what hit me I was dancing around like a college kid at a kegger..” – MUSIC SAVAGE
    • “Lee Bains III hails from two worlds that seemingly couldn't be more different — spirited Southern choirs and punk rock. On There is a Bomb in Gilead, the Birmingham, AL native's latest album with his band The Glory Fires, Bains straddles those disparate scenes, with backyard barbecue anthems and slow-burning Southern soul.” – GAMBIT WEEKLY / NEW ORLEANS
    • “That religious undertone you hear in Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires' music isn't really an undertone - it's more of a core theme. This band's righteous ruckus is a sweet and genuine Southern rock filled with biblical references and plenty of Southern gospel influences.” - BEAUMONT ENTERPISE
    • “Equally informed by the likes of authors William Faulker and Flannery O’Connor and deep-fried iterations of blues, country, rock and soul, Alabama’s Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires trade in something like the rock-and-roll equivalent of the Southern Reconstruction. Following a stint touring with fellow regional sensations the Alabama Shakes, the band is currently on the road with a critically acclaimed new album. There Is a Bomb in Gilead brazenly deconstructs, and then rebuilds, the hazy, gritty sounds and themes of classic Southern music.” - SEVEN DAYS / VERMONT
    • Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires have become well-known for their combination of a punk attitude, a swampy Southern rock reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival and a Muscle Shoals soul that hearkens back to artists such as The Rev. Al Green and Otis Redding. – CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS
    • “Their sound suggests early-'70s Faces spiked with Allman/ Betts guitar jams, plus a whiff of punk left over from their rites of passage through its clubs (Bains did time in the rowdy band the Dexateens). Their debut, There Is a Bomb in Gilead, puns off mishearing the word "balm," but if you could live happily forever without hearing another synthesized dance beat, then balm is what Bomb will be” - INDY WEEK / CHAPEL HILL. NC
    • “Lee Bains III and the Glory Fire’s There is a Bomb in Gilead is a scorcher that mixes outlaw country, booze-soaked blues rock, and ample doses of Americana.” – CHARELSTON CITY PAPER
    • “I value music that comes from the heart and soul; sincerity can’t be faked or manufactured. Soul is something that is not lacking on this record. There is a classic Muscle Shoals brand of soul in some of the songs, but more specifically there is more of a spiritual soul in the music that is lacking in the majority of modern music.” – Cory Pennington / TUSCALOOSA NEWS
    • “Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires have skipped right over the formative section of their career and stepped with both feet right into their potential. There is a Bomb in Gilead is an ass-kicking, heart-pumping, soul-reflecting chunk of rock n’ roll goodness that another ten years on the road couldn’t make any more honest or cohesive. This album is a statement of purpose.” – FARCE THE MUSIC
    • “It won’t be easy finding a recent set transmitting more passion or generating more soul-burnin’ BTU’s than the debut disc of this Birmingham-based four-piece. Bains’ so aptly-named band serves up a combustible blend of Southern rock and soul, the bandleader’s writing tapping deep roots as he throws down vocally with an authority well beyond his years. There’s not one slouch among the tracks on Gilead but the ballads “Reba” and “Righteous, Ragged Songs” and the raver “The Red, Red Dirt Of Home” jump out. This one ought to make more than a few “Best Of” lists this year..”– Duane Verh / ROOTS MUSIC REPORT
    • “Southern rock, well certainly the Alabama variety, is on a roll of late. The latest Alabama artist to emerge is Birmingham native Lee Bains III and his band The Glory Fires. Whether pounding through a full-on rocker or an Allman Brothers-style jam, the boys pack their songs with the proper amount of Southern swagger.” - TWANGVILLE
    • “So many times, I get caught up on the first couple of songs on a new album, mostly because I am feeble-brained with a moderate case of ADD, but on There Is A Bomb In Gilead, it’s the last three songs that sealed the deal. “Roebuck Parkway” is a great acoustic number that would fit in nicely on Jason Isbell’s Here We Rest. "Robeuck Parkway" is the main thoroughfare through Birmingham and the tune reminisces on his youth in Alabama.” – HEAR YA
    • “Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires exemplify the new strain of Southern rock that’s come to life in the post-Drive-By Truckers era. A former member of Dexateens, Bains specializes in straightforward, catchy songs that sit somewhere amidst The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Allman Brothers and David Bowie circa “Panic in Detroit.” The guitars provide plenty of hooks that say something about the emotional life of these punk-loving, down-home Southerners — their pain is undisguised, but they cut the angst with music that can be austere and mysterious. On their new full-length, There Is a Bomb in Gilead, Bains and his quartet explore a brand-new South: “Everything You Took” mentions a Walker Percy novel and a Ramones T-shirt, while “Magic City Stomp” is garage-rock that quotes the Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” Bains has brains and humor, and the band can really stomp.” – Edd Hurt / NASHVILLE SCENE
    • “Guitarist/singer/songwriter Lee Bains III leads his Birmingham, Alabama–based band in a raucous exploration of the intersection between garage rock, soul, country and punk on this full-length debut. Not unlike acts like the Black Keys, Bains manages to merge these styles into a rollicking, timeless sound with plenty of six-string swagger.” – GUITAR WORLD
    • “ Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires are here to put tigers in your tanks. Their debut, There is a Bomb in Gilead, will be out, officially, on May 15. I think it’s only fair to give warning. ‘Cause once I heard it, I felt considerably more hopeful about the state of the world, the union, and my own motivation for staying slim enough to look good in a pair of jeans with rolled-up legs. I mean, you can sit around wishing a band would emerge sounding like a fusion of the Stones circa Exile on Main Street and the Band at its down ‘n’ dirtiest – with a touch of the Allman Brothers, and a few shakes of CCR’s “anything could happen tonight” wildness. And nothing happens. But, within the last few years, something’s wafted up from Birmingham, Alabama. It’s shot through with juicy, smoky, backyard barbecue rock/blues/swamp punch. I know – that’s a lot of cliches, but I think I put them together fairly well. Here’s the band digging into “Opelika” – I’m pretty sure that Levon Helm would have loved it.” – Mary Leary / SAN DIEGO ENTERTAINER
    • “Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires picks up where the Dexateens left off, with ragged blues, rampant stomps and barroom guitar brawls. There is a Bomb in Gilead is as deeply felt as it is deeply fried, as indebted to Al Green as to Iggy and the Stooges. The other thing that emerges on CD is how naturally Bains and his crew mine Southern soul. The title song, which closes out the album, is the real sleeper, its gospel melody worn threadbare, its arrangements cut back to piano, drums, a little bass, and rough and righteous call and response. It’s a slow song, but backed with drama, as Bains squeals like James Brown, rasps like O.V. Wright and stretches out the climaxes like the Reverend Al Green. Not many punk bands could bear the scrutiny of such a long, tight close-up, but Lee Bains and his guys get better the more you look at them.” – Jennifer Kelly / DUSTED
    • "Recorded in the heart of Dixie and mixed in the motor city, the debut release from Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires burns a path through the American musical landscape on which lesser bands have become hopelessly lost. These boys are forging a sound based on garage rock guts, southern riffs and gospel flavors that was first explored by the Rolling Stones 40 years ago on Exile on Main St. The difference here is the Stones were doing an homage to the sounds they learned to love. On There is a Bomb in Gilead, with Bains on vocals, drummer Blake Williamson, bass player Justin Colburn, and guitar player Matt Wurtele…the band plays like the stuff Gram Parsons called “Cosmic American Music” is in their DNA." - AUDITORY ARSON
    • “ T h e G l o r y F i r e s dismantled t h e p l a c e w i t h s o n g s f r o m t h e i r d e b u t L P , T h e r e i s a B o m b i n G i l e a d . .. w o r k i n g t h r o u g h s o n g s e c h o i n g T h e A l l m a n B r o t h e r s a n d T h e B a n d. D r u m m e r B l a k e W i l l i a m s o n a n d b a s s i s t J u s t i n C o l b u r n p u t d o w n a s o l i d f o u n d a t i o n a n d a d d e d w e l c o m e h a r m o n i e s , w h i l e u p f r o n t l e a d g u i t a r i s t M a t t W u r t e l e w a s R o b b i e R o b e r t s o n 2 . 0 a n d f r o n t m a n / g u i t a r i s t L e e B a i n s I I I l e d t h e c h a r g e w i t h t e a r - y o u r - f a c e - o f f v o c a l p o w e r a - l a J o e C o c k e r . ” - BLOGTO/TORONTO
    • “They are playing in town soon so I’ll save the majority of my gushing for that preview, but this band has ‘it.’ Their new album, “There is a Bomb in Gilead,” is hands down my favorite record for 2012 so far. If you missed them at the Tuscaloosa Get Up in March, you should go watch the video of their performance at WellThatsCool.com. I can’t overstate how much this band rocks.” – Cory Pennington / TUSCALOOSA NEWS
    • “If his newest release There Is A Bomb in Gilead is any indication, Bains is definitely going to be making a name for himself. The music is a seamless blend of garage rock, country soul and punk that recalls The Black Keys or The Alabama Shakes. But Bains is no copycat. While one can hear the Muscle Shoals and Deep South influences, this is a sound unique to Birmingham and North Alabama” – Will Grant / BIRMINGHAM NEWS
    • “In a word, There Is A Bomb In Gilead is sexy. The result is everything The Drive-By Truckers have been trying to become since Jason left/was kicked out of the band. The result is pure rock and roll. Pure Muscle Shoals. Pure Essential Listening. Pure American music.” - NINE BULLETS
    • “Great songwriting, and some serious ‘righteous ruckus,’ but above all There Is A Bomb Gilead works to define and revive Southern rock. It seems Lee wants to honor our past while continuing to move forward, musically and culturally. Hurrah.” – MOD MOBILIAN
    • “This is a fantastic Southern rock album in the same vein as the Drive-By Truckers or even The Black Keys. Unrelenting energy behind music that absolutely anyone can enjoy.” – WLUR RADIO
    • “Another ace Alabama band and highly recommended.” - TANDEM / TORONTO
    • "The Alabama Shakes, The Dexateens and Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires all performed with a seemingly renewed energy, none more than the other. Except perhaps for Lee Bains with his Glory Fires as well as the Dexateens. The man is a manic ball of restless energy that bounces off the walls from song to song, set to set. And he even took to the Jupiter bar later that night for another show. He definitely set a standard for the evening, which was full of memorable moments." - Ben Flanagan / AL.com
    • “Grooving slice of southern rock with tasty Muscle Shoals-soaked guitars.” - THE GLOBE & MAIL/TORONTO
    • “This week's Best Thing Ever actually goes to Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires, for their phenomenal new album There Is a Bomb In Gilead. Once a member of Dexateens, Bains' new group is currently touring with another hot Alabama band, the Alabama Shakes. His Glory Fires achieve that difficult balance between deep Southern soul and hard alt.country. On tracks like "Ain't No Stranger" and "Centreville", Bains howls in front of a band that will please any fan of the garage-y grunge of bands like Black Keys. Other tunes sound like they could've been penned by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham” - KRFC RADIO/ROUTES & BRANCHES
    • “THE FIRST GREAT ALBUM OF 2012! I’ll brand There's A Bomb In Gilead the first true southern rock record of the 21st century. That’s what I hear in its grooves. You might hear something altogether different. It doesn’t matter in the end, though. Good music never really needs to be labeled as one thing or another. It’s a disservice to the artist and it keeps people from making up their own minds about what they’re hearing. But I’ve made up my mind about Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires. Pass me back the jar. I need another belt.” - THE RECORD CHANGER
    • "Debuting tunes off their upcoming debut, There Is a Bomb in Gilead, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires deftly blew away probably half of the local talent that has ever graced Toronto's Lee's Palace stage. Impossibly young to be churning out some pretty intricate tunes, the technique and depth of their musical skills and knowledge was simply astounding, switching between some Southern-fried boogie, country twinge and some soul that would make Charley Pride, well, proud." - Laina Dawes / EXCLAIM!
    • “Lee Bains III is from central Alabama — Birmingham, to be exact — but the sound on his debut album with The Glory Fires is 110% Muscle Shoals, Alabama territory. The power, soul and vintage sound of There Is A Bomb In Gilead is indicative of recordings that have come out of Muscle Shoals Fame Studio by bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers and more recently, Drive-By Truckers. There Is A Bomb In Gilead is an awesomely solid debut, and I wish I had the chance to hear it in its native form — blasting from a Ford truck stereo rolling down Highway 72 through the South.” [4/5 stars] - Brian F. Johnson / MARQUEE MAGAZINE
    • “An amazing album.” - THE PERLICH POST
    • “[The Glory Fires is] an apt name for the sort of gritty, desperate rock ‘n’ roll Bains and his bandmates have created on their debut album, There Is a Bomb in Gilead. The title comes from a misheard gospel lyric from Bains’ childhood, and while “balm” may sound more soothing to some, “bomb” is exactly what this record is. The songs begin with the simmering hiss of a grenade fuse before exploding in ways that define what life is like in the modern South: Tough, mean and unforgiving.” – Steve Wildsmith / THE DAILY TIMES
    • “A four-piece playing out of Alabama, Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires ripped through several songs from their first LP, There Is A Bomb In Gilead, with unbridled vigor. A clear Southern rock influence permeated the band’s sound, but you can tell there was some Social Distortion being mixed in with Lynyrd Skynyrd as these guys came up. You can certainly hear the potential in this talented group.” – MERCHANTS OF ROCK
    • “True-to-form country rock.” - Brian Wilensky / PHILADELPHIA CITY PAPER
    • “Blues-influenced southern rock, but with a nice edge to it.” – Liz Bradley / DAVE FM RADIO / ATLANTA
    • “The band’s debut album, There Is A Bomb in Gilead has a genuine feel to it — it’s good Southern music made in the South. With themes of country, rock and gospel, the album couldn’t have better represented all the deep facets of the region. It couldn’t have represented them any more truthfully, either. This album isn’t a hoax. It isn’t trying too hard. It isn’t too much or too little. It’s just right. Because, with a mix of many styles, There Is A Bomb in Gilead covers all its bases.” - HILARY BUTSCHEK / THE RED & THE BLACK / ATHENS
    • “Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires’ new album There is a Bomb in Gilead, out in mid-May, is a masterful meal. There are a hundred influences and flavors, all immediately recognizable but mixed perfectly so that none stands out above the other. There’s early New York City punk, soul, country (both front-porch and Outlaw), blues, and, of course, rock and roll, all blended together so well that you can hear it all without noticing any of it, because the combination makes it its own thing.” - Kenn McCracken / WELD FOR BIRMINGHAM
    • “An album that not only has a uniquely Alabama sound, but draws from soul, gospel, country, rock and much more." - Katie Nichols / LAGNIAPPE MAGAZINE
    • “Lee Bains’ voice is a heart-of-Dixie treasure that is complimented by a funky band of talented musicians that have formed its own style of country soul.” – THE CORNER NEWS
    • “I will be talking a lot about this band in coming days, weeks, months... years? Their May release, There is a Bomb in Gilead, is absolutely bad ass.” – FARCE THE MUSIC
    • “The Glory Fires’ brand of rock ‘n’ roll could only come from the South, where the idea of being a conflicted and proud Southerner is so fittingly expressed with loud guitars. For all the struggle, grit and sweat, The Glory Fires has a record and a sound to be proud of.” – Cory Pennington / TUSCALOOSA NEWS
    • “This record is a pure and unadulterated product of the south. The influence of soul like Pickett and southern rock like the Allman Brothers is extremely self-evident but one can also hear hints of R.E.M. in these songs and even some twinges of garage rock (ala Primal Scream). This is certainly a record that sticks with you and makes an impression, especially for those who have lived in the south.” – OKLAHOMA LEFTY
    • “[New Rock/Soul Discovery: Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - There Is A Bomb In Gilead] A spectacular Allmans guitar intro and that soulful voice fronting a screaming Southern rock band - what's not to like? - John Hyland / WHEN YOU MOTOR AWAY
    • “Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires combination of rock, punk, soul and country is typical of the sound that comes out of the Quad Cities, an area in North Alabama rich with musical talent going back to the 1960S and home of one of the fasting rising bands in music, the Alabama Shakes.” – Chuck Norton / DEAD JOURNALIST
    • “Garage punk energy with Southern rock aesthetics. This long-awaited debut LP should be one of the hottest releases of 2012.” - L’APENETRATION
    • “Sometimes a fella just needs some rock and roll. Irreverent, loud music that transports you into a more rebellious sense, the kind of radical rock and roll the Stooges played. Alabama’s Lee Bains III & THe Glory Fire have swagger, and cockiness in spades. The lead single off their upcoming album, There Is A Bomb in Gilead, jumps at you from the very second you turn it on. “Centreville,” is a little bit southern rock, that has a lot of the raucous energy that is needed in rock.“ – MUSIC SAVAGE
    • “The Birmingham, Alabama group takes the gospel music of their youth and reinvents it through a punk rock lens, resulting in a commanding set of impassioned songs steeped in Southern influences. There is a Bomb in Gilead incorporates some of the most iconic regional styles of American music, from Muscle Shoals to Detroit garage rock to Delta blues of Mississippi.” – J Felton /RECORD DEPT.
    • “Infectious, swagger-filled southern rockers” – AVANT CHICAGO